Snorkeling/Diving on Day Three (Saturday)

Today we went out toward the south western edge of the archipelago, where channels spill out into currents and deep water and fish aggregate.  Our first spot was Oolong (?) Channel.  The water was choppy and the sea swells added to the rough ride and the technical difficulty for those who were diving: Trina, Bill, Dietmar, Jan and Carl.  A dive master went down with them whil Kent, our guide from the tour company Fish and Fins, and Kevin went along snorkeling with Jack, Connie and me.  Snorkeling on more open water and in a fairly swift current was a totally different experience.  As Jack said, it felt like flying -- we were much further above the fish and the coral and could see a larger perspective of ocean life.  We also saw larger ocean life!  White tipped shark and grey reef shark and a huge hawksbill sea turtle were some of the highlights of that first trip.  The divers had an amazing experience too but they'll have to tell their own story.  

We motored up to German Channel for our second dive, and there we could see it wasn't only fish that were aggregating.  So many tour boats were at this spot we actually had to wait for a mooring, and the divers in our group remarked about how many people they saw under the water -- along with a manta ray, more sharks, a school of Jack fish, soldier fish and a yellowfin grouper fish.  The water was calmer and the current not such a factor.  The corals were enormous, and it was remarkable to watch one school of fish after another swim by.  

We got to a quiet protected area within the rock islands for lunch on the boat -- and a quick swim with masks to get a look at corals there -- before a short journey over to the island that houses Jellyfish Lake, one of five marine lakes in the Rock Islands inhabited by jellyfish.  These are an photosynthetic species that don't have need for a stinger; they live off of the nutrients on the bottom of the lake and the sun.  Because the islands are made of limestone, which is porous, the water is filtered albeit slowly.  It is quite an unusual experience to swim among what must be millions of these beautiful creatures, which are pale orange in color.  This is the only lake of the five open to the public, and it is a hugely popular destination.  The fee to swim there is high, and provides funding for other conservation work.  The locals look at this as a "sacrificial" spot that allows people to experience and appreciate the wonder, but protects the other marine lakes from human contact.  It's a conservation strategy that seems to be working.